Message
by AdrinaStark
Summary: Two-shot. Their plan to capture the Wicked Witch seemed to be going so well, until it really wasn't.
1. Sent

**A/N: **I apologise in advance for this.

As always, I don't own anything, except that drink bottle I bought his morning.

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It had seemed to be going so well. The Wicked Witch had been lured to the Jolly Roger by the rumour of a magic bean and her damn monkeys had been distracted by an attack led by Nolan (with the Crocodile for magical support). That just left himself, Emma and Regina on his ship to trap her. She strode onto his ship like she owned it, green skin gleaming and red lips curved up into a smirk. Killian wondered how much scrubbing it would take to remove all traces of her from his beloved vessel. Emma and Regina were standing side by side, clutching the ship's wheel while Killian lounged against the railing, attempting to look casual and unintimidated. It was a lot harder to accomplish than he remembered. The Wicked Witch had already dismissed him as insignificant but it was only when she attempted to fling him away with a wave of her hand that she realised something was amiss. Which meant that the first part of their plan was actually working, Killian didn't know if he should feel pleased that it worked or disgusted that it had been the Crocodile's plan in the first place.

"What have you done?" She demanded, voice calm and confident, still in control. Her eyes flicked between Killian and the women next to him, as they directed their magic through the ship. Killian began walking across the ship to her, ready for his part in the plan.

"We'll, that's easy, love," he said as he strutted toward the bow of the ship. "My vessel, the beauty that she is, is made of very special wood, some would call it enchanted." Killian smirked as the Wicked Witch's eyes narrowed on Emma and Regina and horror began to etch her features. Killian admired her composure as she, stiff-backed, walked towards the gangway, only to walk straight into the magical barricade the encompassed the Jolly Roger.

"Now, you have two choices," Killian continued. "You can struggle and I can cut you down or," he paused to pull a sheet that had been casually draped upon a box on the deck, revealing the manacles underneath, "you can put these on and we all get to walk away from this."

The Wicked Witch still had the courage to laugh and she strutted to the port side, relaxing against the mast, still chuckling to herself. Killian followed her steps warily, keeping the manacles within easy reach, wondering what in their extensive planning, they may have missed.

"I am the Wicked Witch of the West. Do you really think I came here without at least three escape plans?" With a crimson smile she lifted on green arm and pointed to the women by the wheel. A winged figure detached itself from the docks and launched itself at Emma and Regina, plunging straight through the barrier that was more concerned with keeping things in rather than out. Killian cursed and lunged for the manacles, clasping one around her left wrist at the same time her hand went into his chest. Killian froze, wide-eyed as the Wicked Witch grinned, a gleeful gleam in her eye. In that instant, he smelt the roasted corpse of the flying monkey before it hit the water, he heard a female voice call out for him and then he experienced the worst pain of his life as his heart was ripped out of his chest.

Strong arms caught Killian as he collapsed to the deck and he found himself staring into Emma's green eyes, as stunning as the first time he saw them, only now filled with the same emotion that was filling his every pore: fear.

"Regina", Emma screamed, "Get it back!" Killian heard Regina blast her magic at the Wicked Witch but the green wench laughed as she dodged or deflected. Killian gazed at Emma as she felt his chest, attempting to think of a magical solution, he was busy memorising every line of her face, hoping she could be the last thing he saw.

"That was pathetic, darling," the Witch mocked, "Don't want to ruin the pirate's precious heart?" Killian assumed she squeezed his heart as pain erupted in his chest and he screamed while Emma held him closer. When the pain passed, he felt Emma gently place him on the deck while he panted and attempted to recover. She pushed back some hair from his forehead and smiled down at him, moving towards the Wicked Witch as she unsheathed her sword.

"Give. It. Back." Emma said, her voice colder than anything he'd ever heard before. Killian tried to sit up as he followed Emma's movements. The glee in the Witch's face decreased slightly as both of the women faced her. She had Killian's heart on her left hand, where the other manacle dangled uselessly. She seemed wary to face them both and Killian hoped it was because even incomplete, the manacle was blocking some of her magic, rather than it just being another act.

The Wicked Witch inclined her head to Emma, smiling bitterly, "I don't lose well. I hope you'll remember that from now on, _Saviour_." Emma slashed down as the Witch disappeared in a poof of green smoke, taking Killian's heart and life with her.

Emma quickly turned on Regina, "Where'd she go? Can you track her?"

Regina shook her head, looking warily at Emma, "She can't have gone far, that manacle is blocking a good portion of her magic. She should be somewhere on the docks."

Killian pulled himself up by leaning on the gunwale and failed in his attempt to appear nonchalant, "Well, let's go bloody find her then," he said between breathes. Emma rushed over to support him and Regina nodded and vanished in her own cloud of smoke and reappeared in the crow's nest.

"Killian, you need to rest," Emma said. Killian shook his head and started to walk to the aft of his ship, while Emma muttered something along the lines of 'bloody stubborn pirate'. Killian smiled at that and stared looking at the docks wondering if there was any irony in having his heart stolen by a witch when he had been holding onto it for a certain blonde saviour.

Regina cried out excitedly from above, "I see her", before she vanished in pursuit.

"Wait, here", Emma said. Killian was about to tell Emma exactly how he felt about that plan when the pain in his chest built again and he collapsed to the deck. Emma rushed to his side and pulled him to her lap. "No, no, no, no," she muttered to herself again and again. Staring at her, Killian wondered if every pain he every experienced in his 300 years of existence were worth it just to meet her, but seeing the pain in her eyes, Killian almost wished that he never had. Gasping, he tried to keep her in his sights as she called out for help, for Regina, her parents, for her magical powers that she'd never really wanted and his mind wandered to Liam, who died in his cabin, and Milah who met the same fate close to where Killian lay. He had always assumed that he would die on his ship and for many years, he had wanted to.

Emma paused as he reached up to capture one of her loose curls, soft and shining in the sunlight. Killian smiled and realised he'd never told this stubborn, strong woman how he really felt. He'd said it in every single way but the simplest one and he intended to correct that before his heart was crushed to ash. If there was anything Emma Swan deserved in this world, it was to know that she was loved, unconditionally and endlessly.

"Please don't leave me," she whispered. Her tears fell on Killian's face and with a last burst of strength Killian told Emma the truth of his feelings.

In the warrens of the docks, the Wicked Witch faced off with the Evil Queen and managed to finally squeeze the heart of the pirate who had gotten in her way.

In Emma Swan's arms, the light went out of Captain Hook – Killian Jones' – blue eyes and his last words hung in the air as she sobbed.

_As you wish_.

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**A/N: **I'm sorry. It hurt me to write this but I needed it out of my head rather than repeating itself. With the death spoiler and the Jolly Roger being torn down, it was hard to resist. Especially considering that most of the significant people in Killian's life died on his other love, so it only seemed fitting that he would die there as well. Not that he's going to die. I couldn't cope with that (please don't make me live life without Killian Jones).

Thanks for reading!

Please rate, review etc.

Adrina Stark.


	2. Received

**A/N: **Thank you to every who has reviewed so far. I'm sorry it took me so long to upload. It didn't turn out exactly how I wanted it to (when does it ever?) but I hope you enjoy.

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Emma didn't remember much after Killian died in her arms.

David told her the story after and it brought flashes of memory to her mind, but nothing she wanted to focus on.

She didn't want to think about how she lost control of her magic, destroying the Jolly Roger and most of the docks. Didn't want to imagine how Regina took advantage of the chaos to put the manacles on the Wicked Witch's right hand. Didn't want to remember when Regina was walking the Wicked Witch proudly to jail, she'd tried to stab her sword through her heart.

Emma tried to bury her head deeper into her knees to block out the memories. The world kept ticking on while Emma Swan waited in her apartment for another chance at revenge (it was better than considering she might be under house arrest) and didn't move from the couch.

Remembering hurt too much but not remembering was painful too.

Emma saw the Jolly Roger burning in her mind and blocked out the memory of a pyre that allowed Captain Hook to be with his ship forever.

Killian Jones was dead and the world didn't seem to care.

* * *

Emma was lost in her memories when her family came home. They moved around her quietly, Mary Margaret and Henry moving to the kitchen while David watched her with concern. She was remembering her own satisfaction when her blade was so close to avenging Killian, then her shock and anger as David deflected her sword with his own. Emma was by no means a swordswoman and found herself easily disarmed by David.

"I'll do it right next time."

"Do you think that's for the best, Emma?" Emma hadn't even realised she'd spoken aloud until she heard David's reply and she looked up from her knees to see him sit next to her.

"What do you expect me to do? She cursed you again, she's a threat. She... She killed Killian." Emma was proud by how she could say that without her anger overwhelming her, she needed a clear head.

David sighed and looked at her with sadness, she was ashamed to remember she was not the only one who was grieving but her simmering anger quashed that thought.

"Is your revenge for Killian or for yourself?" David asked her quietly. The silence in the kitchen told Emma that Henry and Mary Margaret were listening intently and she barely hesitated before giving her indignant response, "Of course it's for Killian, he deserved to be avenged. He had his heart crushed like he was nothing, just a pawn in someone else's game."

David nodded like this was the response he expected, "But do you think Killian would want you to avenge him?"

Emma hesitated, unsure of where this was going. "He's dead so he couldn't really say."

David pulled her hands into his and looked at her earnestly, "Emma, Killian spent 300 years looking for revenge. Only to discover that the pursuit of it left his life empty. He realised that when he met you, he met you and realised he wanted more for himself than a hollow vengeance. You have a choice, Emma, you can take your revenge and see what the consequences are or you can take a difference path. Killian made a choice and you have to make yours."

Emma felt the tears she hadn't let fall since she walked away from Killian Jones well up in her eyes and she buried her face in her father's chest. He was stiff for a moment with shock before he wrapped his arms around her and allowed Emma to sob. She felt her mother hold her hands that were around her father's back and felt Henry hug her from behind.

_Choose_.

In the safety of her father's arms, with her mother holding her hands like she was trying to pour her strength into her and her son making wet patches on her shirt as he cried, Emma finally allowed herself to relive the final moments of Killian Jones' life. His bright blue eyes staring up at her like she was the only thing he wanted to see and his words lingering in the air.

_As you wish._

As her family leant her strength, Emma allowed herself to acknowledge her pirate's final message. It was something he had been saying with every glance, every touch and every kiss. He said it in every way but one, giving Emma the choice to decode it.

_I love you._

So Emma chose.

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**A/N: **The end! Thanks for sticking with it. I'm sorry to those who expected Killian to come back but when I thought of this fic the only scenes I had in mind included Killian's death and final message and Emma choosing. The end is up to interpretation. I have some happier fics in mind for the future so hopefully I've gotten rid of all my angsty fic thoughts and can do more 'happily ever after' sort of things.

All the best,

Adrina Stark!


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